


the sky is dark and full of wonders

by Mesita



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Charades, F/F, Frozen 2 spoilers, Post-Frozen 2 (2019), elsa is OP, honeymaren pov, random wolf capades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:20:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21841141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mesita/pseuds/Mesita
Summary: Now that the mist has broken, the world is so much bigger and brighter than what Honeymaren could have imagined--but it's also more dangerous. It's a good thing her budding friendship with none other than Elsa herself makes it all worth it.
Relationships: Elsa & Honeymaren (Disney), Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 173





	the sky is dark and full of wonders

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshot but it grew too long. I'll have the second part up before the new year! These two ladies made my entire holiday season!

Honeymaren grew up with tales of the outside world, of how the sky stretched forever and stars shone so brightly, it was like the sky glittered with dark snow. She’d completely given up the idea of getting the chance to ever see it. She instead clung to the stories and would lie awake, imagining them.

The first time Honeymaren saw the night sky, she’d been with her brother, Ryder. The two of them stared in awe at the inky expanse, wondering how something could be so high and far away. She’d wanted to stay out until the black gave way to the blues and pinks of the sunrise. As beautiful as the morning sun was, the night sky held a special place in Honeymaren’s heart.

Both Elsa and Anna left as abruptly as they had arrived, but in due time, Elsa returned, having finished abdicating her throne.

Though Elsa was no longer a queen, she still held herself in a regal way, no doubt from having been raised in a palace. It was foreign to Honeymaren. The Northuldra lived in step with nature. Her life was raw and unfiltered and exposed. She’d seen the way the Arendelle guards acted—like they always had some kind of secret, like they were somehow better than the Northuldra because they had brass buttons. Elsa, it seemed, was not like that. It was a relief.

Seven nights passed before Elsa returned on the back of the water spirit, her business in Arendelle having been finished. Though the Northuldra had only known her for a short while, it felt like Elsa was coming home, like they had been waiting for her return. Honeymaren felt like she had been holding her breath the whole time Elsa was away.

The Enchanted Forest was known to change people. Honerymaren didn’t see it. She’d lived in the forest her whole life. It had seen her change from a child to a woman, but that happened everywhere, didn’t it? What other changes could Honeymaren possibly go through?

But Elsa….

The Elsa who returned to the Nothuldra was not the same Elsa who left. When Honeymaren first spoke to the former queen around the campfire, separated only by a baby reindeer, Elsa had been scared, reserved, unsure. Honeymaren had hoped to kindle some kind of hope in her—something that stirred a sense of bravery to keep her on the right path. She hadn’t known how much the story of the five spirits would help, but it seemed it had, and a part of Honeymaren beamed with pride to know she had a hand in saving her people from the Enchanted Forest.

When Elsa returned, she was stronger, more confident, and happier. She glowed with a radiance on par with the sun itself. Elsa was just like Honeymaren’s beloved stars—just as bright and brilliant, but far enough away that Honeymaren couldn’t get burned. Elsa like this was unattainable. She carried herself with such a renewed vigor that approaching her seemed like something only a privileged few could do.

So when Elsa came to her, Honeymaren’s heart seized in her chest. Her voice, low and coarse, resonated in the air between them.

“Honeymaren,” Elsa said softly. Then, for a moment, her regal demeanor slipped, and Honeymaren caught a glimpse of the Elsa she first met. “Right?”

Honeymaren let out a small puff of laughter. If she didn’t, she thought it would all come out in a nervous explosion. “Yes,” she said quickly. The air in her chest was building up again. She needed to exhale.

“Sorry, I’m just trying to get my bearings again. Everything has changed so much…”

Little by little, Honeymaren let out the air in her chest. “They say the forest changes you…” she said intelligently. It was all she could think of to say. Elsa had ruled an entire country. Honeymaren mostly ruled over her brother.

“So it has,” Elsa agreed. Her shoulders dropped a little, and it was then that Honeymaren realized that Elsa was likely as nervous as she was. Honeymaren longed for the ease of that first night at the campfire. They’d felt like equals, then. Now, Elsa was just -more.- But how much more? Could she still be that frightened young woman Honeymaren had instantly admired? Elsa offered Honeymaren a smile. “I have a favor to ask of you, actually.”

Honeymaren cocked her head to the side. “A favor?” she asked. The nerves that had troubled her before were now gracing her with courage. If Elsa needed something from her, they couldn’t possibly be on different levels. “Anything at all.”

“Could you show me around the forest? It’s so vast. If I’m going to make this place my home, I’d like to learn about it from someone who grew up here.”

Honeymaren wanted to point out that she could learn from Ryder, or any of the other Northuldra. Even Yelena. In fact, Yelena would have been best. She iterated this point to Elsa.

Elsa shook her head with a hum. “I’d rather it be from you.”

The sentiment caused Honeymaren to blush—something that did not come easily to her. Flattered, she stood up a little straighter. “I would be honored…. Your… highness?” She hadn’t meant to use an honorific. The Northuldra didn’t use them at all. But somehow, with Elsa, it seemed right.

Once more, Elsa shook her head, but this time placed a caring hand on Honeymaren’s shoulder. “Please. Elsa is more than fine.”

“Elsa.” Honeymaren nodded.

Elsa smiled, and Honeymaren knew in that moment she would do anything for her.

-

After the dam had been destroyed, much of the topography of the land changed. Most of the river cut into a wide canyon which only served to make the river deeper, but there were patches of land Honeymaren once knew that were now under water. There had been an outcropping of stones Honeymaren liked to frequent as a child and use as hopping rocks to keep her balance. With the floodwaters, the rocks now stood as skipping stones in a river. Falling from a rock before meant a sore bottom and dusty leggings, but with rapids, it now meant possibly death.

Not that it mattered for Elsa. She could easily freeze the water and pull herself and Honeymaren to safety should either of them fall. Still, Honeymaren found it easier to explain the area to Elsa, instead.

“I didn’t realize how much the dam my grandfather built changed the area,” Elsa murmured, looking out from the bank of the river toward the rocks. “The moment I found out, I wanted to give the land back. I’m sorry your training ground was ruined, though.”

Now it was Honeymaren’s turn to shake her head. “Don’t be. I would give up a thousand training grounds to be free of the fog. The world is so big… if anything, my training ground has expanded.”

Elsa held a hand out. A few flurries escaped from her palm. “I could reroute the river a little bit… give it back for just a moment.”

Honeymaren reached out and placed her hand over Elsa’s. She thought it would be cold, especially with the flurries, but found it to be smooth and warm. “No. Leave nature the way it should be.”

Elsa closed her fist and brought her hand down. She looked deep in thought, and Honeymaren knew she was taking those words to heart. Magic as powerful as Elsa’s was bound to change the landscape every now and then. But somehow Elsa didn’t strike Honeymaren as the malicious type to do that purposely. 

-

Showing Elsa around the forest became routine. Every day Honeymaren took the former queen somewhere new. A lifetime in the fog made even the rotten logs have an unprecedented look to them. The sun, though new and so short-lived in the late fall, did a number on the flora and fauna. Honeymaren found herself staring—constantly staring. The forest she knew so well was coming alive before her during a time when everything should have been dying.

Elsa was on another one of her trips to Arendelle. Honeymaren understood that there was so much for Elsa to take care of back at her former home. Despite that, it was easy to get jealous. Honeymaron wanted to go one day—to see the towering spires and the cobblestone roads. She’d been showing Elsa around her neck of the woods, why couldn’t Elsa show her around the city? Honeymaren would ask her one day, she was sure of it. But it wasn’t the right time.

Days continued in their normal routine. Gather the harvest of the fall. Care for the reindeer. Hunt. Fish. Ryder and Honeymaren had both been gifted the ability to ride the reindeer without fear of retaliation. They used this to make circles around the Enchanted Forest and to slowly spread their perimeter. The mist had kept them safe from the more dangerous animals, but now they needed to be on the lookout.

Since Elsa was gone, Honeymaren and Ryder each took their favorite reindeer and made their way south toward the former perimeter of the mist. 

Honeymaren had named her steed Vantor, after her own grandfather. His thick muscles moved gracefully underneath her perch, reminding her that she wasn’t just riding any typical beast of burden. Reindeer were free, just like her. Vantor only allowed her to ride him because she’d raised him from a young calf.

Even now, Vantor seemed uneasy, slowing his movements the further they ventured outward.

“Easy, now,” Honeymaren whispered, patting the bull on his neck to soothe him. She glanced over at her brother.

“What do you think? Are they nervous because it’s new or do they sense something?”

Ryder hummed and sat up straighter in his seat. “Not sure,” he said, glancing around him at the unfamiliar woods. Then he bent down as he usually did when he was listening to Korin, his own steed. “What do you say, buddy?”

Korin answered in Ryder’s voice. “Don’t you know anything about wolves?”

“Wolves?” Ryder sounded surprised. Honeymaren still wasn’t exactly sure if Ryder spoke for the reindeer or not. Perhaps he did, and only sometimes made it up. She could never be too sure. This felt like one of those genuine times. “Here?”

Korin snorted and stamped his front leg. There had never been a doubt in Honeymaren’s mind that the reindeer could at least understand -them.-

“Perhaps we should turn back,” Honeymaren stated. “We’ve only heard about wolves from the elders. If we go against one now, we wouldn’t be sure how to save ourselves.”

“We outrun it, of course,” Ryder said confidently. Honeymaren gave him a look.

“It’s better to be safe than so—” 

Something cut off Honeymaren’s words. Something distant and long and almost like a song. Then, in another direction, more additions to the song.

She had Ryder shared a glance. “Wolfsong,” they said together.

Their reindeer began to back up uneasily. Honeymaren could feel Vantor’s brawn pull against her. They needed to go. No more exploring.

Before the four of them could turn around, the woods in front of them came alive with the sound of pawprints in the crisp autumn leaves. There was no time. They needed to go -now.-

Honeymaren pulled on the fur around Vantor’s neck and with hardly even a push, he turned around and began to run. From her peripherals she could see her brother gliding over the ground beside her, face taut with concentration. Chancing a glance behind her, she could see the her first wolf emerging from the trees.

He would have been beautiful if he didn’t look so dangerous. His grey fur was dotted with flecks of white and black that rippled slightly with each powerful stride. 

And he was gaining on them.

“Faster!” Honeymaren cried desperately at the four of them.

Vantor jumped over a fallen log and Honeymaren steered him off to the left, trying to thwart the wolves form running in a straight line.

“We need to split up,” Ryder said earnestly. “They can’t follow both of us. Don’t they work in packs?”

Honeymaren would have nodded if she wasn’t trying so hard to hold on. She careened ever further to the left. Ryder took the right. When she turned to see his back moving further and further away from her, she wondered if this might have been the last time she saw him.

To her dismay and her relief, the wolves took a left and began to follow her. Ryder would be okay, at least, but that provided a whole new set of dangers for her. She tried to will Vantor to run faster, to glide over a stream, to zig zag. Nothing seemed to work. At this point, her only advantage was to keep running until the wolves gave up chase.

From behind her, she heard a bark and gasped when a wolf was close enough to snap at the heels of Vantor. She should have brought something with her to fend off the wolves, but all she had was her pack. It would have to do. She pulled it from around her shoulders and swung it at the wolves to discourage them.

Could she try talking to them? Settling them down? The Northuldra were one with nature. They respected it. Even though Honeymaren had never encountered this species before, surely she could find a way to quell their actions. Perhaps they were hungry. Over-starved. Smelling a reindeer must have set them off.

The wolf retreated some, but another launched forward just enough to catch a tooth on Vantor’s back leg. He brayed loudly and shifted in pain. Because Honeymaren was in such a precarious position on Vantor’s back, she lost her balance and fell directly into the pack of wolves. She hit one directly, nearly pinning it to the ground. The two of them rolls among the brush until they finally came to a stop. Pain erupted from Honeymaren’s ankle. She didn’t think it was broken, but she couldn’t be sure. At this point it was too early to tell and her first thoughts were to get up and run despite the pain.

She had a sudden urge to fall asleep. It was all she wanted to do. Knowing that this was the first sign of passing out from the pain, she did her best to fight it and scrambled to standing. In the distance she could see Vantor running faster without the burden of her on his back. The wolves were still chasing him, but losing ground.

And then they were gone, swallowed up by the trees.

But Honeymaren still had her own wolf to deal with. He looked angry at having been crushed by her weight. His lips pulled back in a snarl as he bore his teeth. Honeymaren backed up without looking until she bumped into a tree, then hastily tried to go around.

Suddenly the wolf leapt forward and Honeymaren closed her eyes—

\--but no pain came.

When she opened her eyes, the wolf let out a yelp and she saw him pushed aside by a gust of flurries. In a split second, a wall of ice shot up from nowhere, trapping him.

Honeymaren whipped her head around to see Elsa gliding on the ground toward them, barefoot and sliding on a sheet of ice. She came to a graceful stop in front of Honeymaren and threw her arms around her.

“Are you okay?” she asked hastily, her voice coming from somewhere behind Honeymaren’s shoulder.

“I’m fine. I’m okay,” Honeymaren said immediately. Instinctively. Her arms wanted to wrap around Elsa’s but she couldn’t bring herself to celebrate. Not yet. “But Vantor isn’t. He could be caught by the rest of the pack.”

Elsa nodded briskly and with a wave of her hand, Honeymaren was suddenly on a plateau twenty feet in the air. No wolves would get her there. “Stay here,” Elsa said, and slid away.

“Wait! Elsa! You don’t know where—” But Elsa was already out of earshot.

There was nothing Honeymaren could do now but wait in frustration. Her ankle throbbed, so she sat down on the ice and took off her boot to examine it. It was an angry shade of purple and swollen, but she could still flex the joint. That was a good sign. She must have just twisted it wrong.

As Honeymaren waited, her impatience grew. How could she just sit there helpless as Elsa did all the work? Where was Ryder? Was he okay? Had Elsa been able to thwart the rest of the wolf pack and save Vantor? She strained her ears and tried desperately to listen for answers. At some point, the wall around the wolf dropped and he ran off in the direction of his pack. Honeymaren was completely alone.

After what felt like an eternity, Honeymaren heard hoofbeats and her stomach dropped as she suddenly felt herself descending.

Elsa rode on Vantor’s back to the clearing. He wasn’t running at full speed, and had a slight limp to him. Honeymaren could see the blood trickling down his back leg where he’d been bitten by the wolf.

“Vantor!” Honeymaren called out, taking the few steps toward her reindeer and threw her arms around his neck. He nuzzled her shoulder and snorted as if to say he was sorry for dropping her.

“I reached him just in time,” Elsa explained softly, dismounting. “I was able to scare off the wolves.”

Despite the danger, it was a relief to know that Elsa hadn’t killed them. They were just animals, working on their own instincts. It wasn’t their fault. 

“How did you know where to find me?” The question had been pressing enough to blurt out first.

Elsa gave Honeymaren a sheepish look. “To be honest, I had no idea it was you. I was on my way back form Arendelle when I heard the commotion. I know it was foolish to run into danger, but I couldn’t help but think perhaps the wolves were hunting one of your herd. When I saw that they were hunting you, I reacted immediately.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” Honeymaren said, her shoulders drooping. “I should have been prepared for new threats.”

“Wolves are a gamble. The usually don’t hunt like this. I wonder what’s going on.”

“Huh…” Honeymaren replied, looking out in the direction the wolves had come from. “They seemed a little manic, but I had nothing to compare them to. I couldn’t tell for sure.”

“Honeymaren.” Elsa’s voice was gentle enough to prompt her to face her completely. The blue in Elsa’s eyes stood out against the reds and golds of the leaves around her. It was easy to lose herself in them, and Honeymaren did just that often enough when they were walking together in the Enchanted Forest. Now they were a relief. Blue was very easily becoming Honeymaren’s favorite color.

Honeymaren hummed to show she was listening.

Elsa took a step toward her. “When I saw that it was you, I was so scared. I haven’t been that scared for anyone other than Anna in… well, I’m not sure if I’ve ever been scared for anyone but Anna.”

Honeymaren chanced a smile and reached forward boldly to take Elsa’s hand in her own. When the sisters came through their village, they seemed incredibly close. Even though Honeymaren had a bond of her own with Ryder, it felt like it didn’t compare to the way Anna and Elsa felt about each other. Something like this… it felt like Elsa was complimenting her more than she could fathom. “I’m glad you found me,” she ended up saying, hoping it would be enough.

“Me too.” Elsa’s voice was kind and Honeymaren couldn’t help but feel somehow appreciated when Elsa spoke. From the start, the two of them spoke so easily to one another. Honeymaren had felt the need to make sure Elsa knew what she was getting into and gave her as much information as she could. What little bit she could give had helped, which made Honeymaren’s heart soar.

The two of them stood there a moment, unsure of what to say. But there didn’t need to be any words between them. The electrical charge was enough. Honeymaren looked at their joined hands and knew in that moment she wasn’t just another Northuldra. Not to Elsa.

-

“So how -is- Anna anyway?” Honeymaren asked. The two of them were walking alongside a bandaged Vantor. Honeymaron had some cloth in her pack in case one of them got hurt on the trip and for once, she was glad to have been overprepared. The pace was slow going, not just for Vantor’s sake, but for Honeymaren’s. Her ankle was a disaster.

“She’s overwhelmed a bit,” Elsa said with a bit of laughter behind her speech. “She’s worried about ruling a kingdom and planning a wedding all at once.”

“Oh yeah, Kristoff asked her to marry him. Ryder told me about Kristoff trying to propose and accidentally proposing to Yelena.” Honeymaren giggled.

“Did he really?” Elsa asked, now turning to Honeymaren with mirth in her eyes. Honeymaren returned the gaze gratefully.

“According to Ryder, it was all he could do not to die of second-hand embarrassment.”

“Oh, I wish I was there to see it. Kristoff and Anna really were made for each other. If the tables were reversed, I could see Anna doing the same thing.”

Whenever Elsa spoke about Anna, she never stopped smiling. Her tone grew warm and fond. Honeymaren could tell the former queen missed her sister. Honeymaren couldn’t imagine being separated from her brother like this. At the same time, she knew Elsa needed to be among the magic like this. This was her place, not some stuffy stone cage.

Suddenly, Honeymaren gasped. “Ryder! We were separated! We need to find him!”

Elsa’s eyes widened in alarm. “I thought it strange you were out here alone. Which way did he go?”

Honeymaren looked around the unfamiliar woods. She had done her best to keep her bearings, but it had been difficult in the fight. She’d been more concentrated on getting away than where she was going. “East, I think.”

Elsa turned toward the East and squinted her eyes as if that would somehow help her see through the trees.

“Finding his trail might be hard,” Elsa said quietly. “He could be anywhere by now. And you can’t be out here much longer with your ankle.” She turned back to Honeymaren. “Let’s get you and Vantor back home. I’ll go out and look for him if he isn’t there.”

Honeymaren hated to say it, but that was their best course of action. If they were attacked again, they would be sitting ducks. Elsa could no doubt take care of the wolves, but there had to be other dangers out here—mainly exposure. Honeymaren hadn’t packed for an especially long trip. Already the sun was lowering in the sky. Usually the Northuldra gauged the time by how dim the world became and when they needed the light of a campfire to see. Telling the time by the sun was so much more convenient.

“Okay… but I don’t want you to go out alone. Please, take someone with you.”

Elsa laughed to herself and shook her head. “Trust me. I’ll be okay alone.”

Honeymaren knew it was best not to argue the point. Elsa was strong. Stronger than anyone she had ever known.

“What about the spirits?”

“The spirits won’t bother me. They’re my friends.”

“All of them? Even the giants?”

“Even the giants. I brought them all together. I calmed them.”

Honeymaren was finally catching what Elsa was saying. “Just like… the fifth spirit.”

Elsa smiled. “Exactly like the fifth spirit.”

Honeymaren mulled on that for a moment as the lights of the campsite slowly came into few, the smell of cooked fish filling the air. Elsa. The fifth spirit. When Honeymaren spoke to her that first time, she had no idea she was telling Elsa the legend of -herself.-

But even more frightening than that was the idea that Honeymaren liked Elsa. That was basically setting herself up for heartbreak. After all, who would dare fall in love with something as powerful as the Fifth Spirit?


End file.
